Eastern Woodland Indians: The Algonquin and the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois)

Introduction

New York State is an ever-changing region. Today, people who live in New York State have roots from all over the world. However there was a time when the only people who lived here were what we now call Native Americans. "Native American" is a very broad term that includes people with different languages, culture and traditions. Native Americans live all over the North America. In this webquest, we will be learning about Native Americans who lived in North America before Europeans arrived. Our focus will be groups, sometimes called tribes or nations, who lived in the Eastern Woodlands, which includes present-day New York state.

This map of North America shows what region of the United States includes the Eastern Woodlands. It is important to remember that Algonquin and Iroquois communities still exist today, but their lives were enormously affected by the arrival of Europeans. We will learn more about this in upcoming units of study.